Deception
by Sparkle731
Summary: An unplanned pregnancy causes some big problems and life altering events for Starsky and Hutch. Chapter 12 and 13 are posted. Story is now complete
1. Chapter 1

**DECEPTION**

**An unplanned pregnancy causes some big problems and life altering events for Starsky and Hutch.**

**Warning: This chapter does contain graphic scenes of sexual activity. If this offends you, please do not read any further.**

**A/N: With all the sex that both Starsky and Hutch seemed to have on the show, I felt that, no matter how careful they were, an unplanned pregnancy was always a possibly. **

**CHAPTER ONE**

David Starsky moaned and thrust his hips forward as his girlfriend closed her lips around his manhood, her tongue sliding along the throbbing shaft. She had been teasing him for almost an hour, bringing him right to the edge of completion and then backing off. His hands reached out to caress the woman's back as her talented mouth continued to torment him.

"That's enough…" Starsky growled, "I need you, baby. I need you now!"

Jessica laughed and tossed her long chestnut colored hair over her shoulders as she straightened up and looked into her lover's smoldering eyes. "Take me, baby. I'm all yours." She whispered seductively. She straddled Starsky's hips, her hot, wet center brushing lightly against the head of his cock.

Grabbing her hips with his hands to keep her positioned, Starsky groaned as he sank his engorged cock deep inside of her. Once he was buried to the hilt in her welcoming wetness, he rolled to one side so that she was lying on the bed beneath him. Smiling down into her laughing brown eyes, he began to thrust his hips in the ageless rhythm of love. Jessica's eyes closed in pleasure, her long nails digging into his shoulders, answering each forward thrust with a thrust of her own. They reached their climax together, crying out as their bodies exploded and then collapsing, tangled in each other's arms.

Starsky buried his face in her fragrant tresses which felt like silk against his skin and smelled like apple blossoms. They had only been dating for a few weeks but had already discovered that they had a lot in common. Both originally from New York, they were familiar with the same neighborhoods and stores back home. They were both junk food addicts who loved pizzas and tacos. And they shared the same childish enthusiasm for theholidays and surprises. Jessica even liked Starsky's car which was a big plus in the brunet's eyes. The only drawback to the relationship was the fact that Jessica and Starsky's partner, Ken Hutchinson, didn't always see eye to eye.

"David," Jessica said hesitantly, tracing circles through the brunet's chest hair. "I'm late…"

"Late for what?" Starsky asked drowsily, lulled into a deep relaxation from hours of good sex.

"My period's late." Jessica clarified, looking at Starsky with fear filled eyes. "Almost two weeks late."

"What?" Starsky said, alert and awake now. "You said you were on the pill."

He didn't mean to sound so accusing and he had used a condom until Jessica had convinced him that it wasn't necessary since she was on the pill.

"I am." She said, a single tear slipping down her cheek. "But I guess I must have forgot one or something."

"Have you seen a doctor?"

"Not yet."

"Well, you need to make an appointment." Starsky scolded her gently. "Maybe something else is wrong." The threat of an unplanned pregnancy was unsettling but Starsky was prepared to be a man and take full responsibility if she was pregnant.

"I don't think so." Jessica admitted, "I've been getting sick in the mornings and my breasts are tender."

"Why didn't you tell me sooner?"

"Because I was afraid to. I was afraid you'd get mad at me and want to break up."

She looked at him soulfully with a wide-eyed innocence that tugged at the streetwise cop's emotions.

"First things first." Starsky told her, with a gentle smile and a tender kiss. "Go see the doctor and make sure. Then we'll figure out what we're going to do…together."

"And if I am?"

"Then we'll cross that bridge when we get to it."

"I won't have an abortion." Jessica said firmly. "I couldn't do something like that."

"I wouldn't expect you to." Starsky said quietly. Although he believed in a woman's right to choose, faced with the possibility of it being his baby that would be aborted, he was strongly against it. If Jessica was pregnant, the child didn't ask to be conceived through carelessness on the part of his or her parents.

"I'll call my doctor first thing in the morning." Jessica said. Still nestled in his arms, she fell into a troubled, restless sleep. Starsky remained awake, unable to sleep, staring into the darkness. He had always wanted to be a father someday, just not quite like this. But, if Jessica was pregnant, which he strongly suspected she was, he would support Jessica and the baby and help to raise it. He wouldn't run out on her the way a lot of men did under similar circumstances. And, if she wanted to get married, he would do that too, even though he knew that he didn't love her, not the way that he had loved Terry or Rosie Malone. Finally, shortly before dawn, he fell into a restless slumber of his own.

Two hours later when his alarm went off, he dragged himself out of bed and into the shower to clear the cobwebs out of his head before getting dressed and leaving to pick Hutch up for work. He scribbled a note to Jessica, who was still sleeping, and left it on the kitchen table, telling her that they would talk more that evening after she saw the doctor.

Hutch was standing on the curb in front of his building waiting impatiently when Starsky pulled up in front of him. As soon as he climbed into the car, he immediately picked up on Starsky's subdued mood. "Late night with Jessica?" He guessed, eyeing the dark circles under his best friend's eyes.

"You could say that." Starsky said without elaborating. He sighed heavily. Hutch was his best friend and the one person Starsky trusted more than anyone else. He told the big blond everything and this was no exception. "Jessica thinks she might be pregnant. Her period is two weeks late."

Hutch looked at his friend with a stunned expression on his face. Both men had had more their share of girlfriends and one night stands. But, they were both responsible sexual partners and always took precautions against this sort of 'accident'. "Didn't you use a condom?" He asked.

"Yeah…at first." Starsky said, a deep flush creeping into his face. "But, Jessica said she was on the pill."

"And you believed her?" Hutch scolded him.

"Hey, I saw her take it a couple of times!" Starsky said in his own defense. "And one night I was out of rubbers and I wasn't about to run to the drugstore to buy some."

"I'm not blaming you, pal." Hutch said soothingly,"It's not your fault…or hers. Sometimes these things happen. What are you going to do if she is?"

"What can I do?" Starsky said glumly. "It's my baby. I'll do the right thing."

"Does she want to get married?"

"We haven't talked about that yet."

"Starsk, don't take this the wrong way…but, if she is pregnant, are you sure that it's yours?"  
"As sure as I can be." Starsky declared, "Besides, she wouldn't lie about something like that."

"I'm not suggesting that she's lying. All I'm saying is that it seems a little too convenient that you just met the girl and already she's telling you that she's pregnant."

"She said she must have forgotten to take one of the pills." Starsky said with a rueful smile. "It's not like either one of us bothered counting them."

"You know I'll stand by you no matter what you decide to do." Hutch told him."Just take my advice and don't rush into anything here. Don't let her pressure you into doing anything that you're not ready to do."

"Like getting married, you mean..." Starsky said with a decisive snort.

"Come on, Starsk…you know you're not ready for that. I know that you don't love her."

"Love has nothing to do with it. Taking responsibility for getting her pregnant is what's important."

"I agree. But, you can still do that without marrying her. You can support her and the child, admit paternity and give the baby your last name, without marrying the mother." Hutch pointed out. "I mean it's not like it used to be when you didn't have much choice. What if Jessica decides not to keep the baby? What if she wants to give it up for adoption?"

"Then I'll go along with that too." Starsky declared. "I already told her that whatever she decides to do, we're in this together."

"Has she seen a doctor?"

"Not yet. She's going to today."

"At least then you'll know…one way or the other." Hutch said, reaching out to clasp his partner's shoulder encouragingly. "Then you can make some decisions about the future."

Starsky nodded. He felt marginally better after talking it out with Hutch. Everything the big blond had said made sense to the brunet. There was a part of him that hoped that maybe it was a mistake and that she wasn't pregnant. But, he knew that was doubtful. Morning sickness and tender breasts seemed to confirm it.

The day passed slowly without any major mishaps. The partners patrolled their assigned district, talked to a few snitches, arrested a purse snatcher, and answered a couple of minor complaints. When they logged out for the day, Starsky dropped Hutch off at his apartment. As he climbed out of the car, Hutch peered back in at Starsky and said,

"Call me later if you need to talk."

"I will, mom." Starsky promised with a crooked smile. With a wave of his hand, he pulled away from the curb and headed for home. Jessica's car was already parked in his driveway. As he climbed out of his car and she climbed out of hers, one look at the expression on her face was enough to confirm his worst fears. His life was about to change forever.


	2. Chapter 2

**CHAPTER TWO**

"She's pregnant." Starsky's voice said in Hutch's ear when he picked up the phone. "The baby's due in August…right around your birthday, Blondie. How about that?" Although Starsky was obviously trying hard to sound enthusiastic, it was apparent that he was unsettled by the news.

"Is Jessica still there?"

"No, she left." Starsky said "She said she figured that we both needed some time alone tonight."

"You want me to come over?"

"Naw, you don't have to. I'm a big boy. I'll be okay." Despite Starsky's denial, Hutch could hear the forlorn timbre in his friend's voice.

"Put on some coffee. I'll be there in thirty." Hutch said firmly, hanging up the phone before Starsky could protest.

True to his word, Hutch arrived at the brunet's apartment thirty minutes later bearing a large deluxe pizza and a six pack of beer. Starsky's eyes lit up at the sight of the food in his partner's hands, his stomach growling hungrily, reminding him that he'd been too distracted to eat all day. That was indeed unusual for the typically ravenous brunet and a good indication of his state of mind.

Starsky opened two beers, passing one to Hutch and keeping one for himself. He settled down on the sofa and helped himself to slice of pizza, cramming the hot, spicy pie in his mouth.

"So, did you and Jessica get a chance to talk about what you're going to do now?" Hutch asked, taking a more delicate bite of his own slice.

"A little." Starsky admitted around another huge bite of pizza. "She wants to keep the baby." He lowered his eyes to avoid looking at his partner as he added, "And she wants to get married."

"What did you tell her?"

"That we'd talk about that later." He raised his eyes to look at his partner beseechingly. "I can't just turn my back on her, Hutch."  
"I know that, pal. Nobody expects you to."

"I told her that even if we got married everybody would know that it was because we had to, not because I asked her to marry me."

"What did she say to that?"

"She said she didn't care. She knew that I didn't love her but that she expected me to do the right thing like I promised to."

"That doesn't mean that you have to marry her." Hutch said, repeating the same advice he had given Starsky earlier. "You can still do the right thing."

"I know. Maybe if we talk about it some more, we can come to some kind of compromise that we can both live with."

"Do you really think that Jessica is going to want to compromise? Or is she going to force you into a loveless marriage that will make both of you miserable?"

"I don't know." Starsky admitted.

"You'd both end up hating each other, trapped in a marriage for all the wrong reasons." Hutch said. "And the baby would grow up knowing it. Believe me, buddy, I know. I grew up listening to my parents fight when they thought I was asleep. My dad used to scream at my mom and tell her that he would never have married her if she hadn't been pregnant with me."

"You never told me that." Starsky said in a mildly surprised voice. He knew that Hutch didn't have a good relationship with his parents but Hutch had never said why.

"It's not exactly the kind of thing you go around advertising." Hutch said with a bitter smile. "I used to think that I was the reason for all the problems in my parent's marriage. That they both would have been happier if I'd never been born." He looked at his friend somberly. "I don't want to see you forced into that kind of marriage, buddy."

"She's scared, Hutch." Starsky said, feeling the need to defend the absent Jessica. "And I can't say that I blame her. She's afraid that I'll run out on her."

"Then she doesn't know you like I do." Hutch said, "I know you'd never do that."

"I think that's why she wants to get married…so she can be sure of that."

"Getting married won't stop you from leaving if you want to." Hutch said pointedly, remembering his own desperately unhappy and failed marriage to Vanessa.

"I know that…but this is a decision I have to make on my own, pal." Starsky reminded him with a thin smile. "You can't hold my hand and tell me what to do."

"I already told you, I'd stand by you no matter what you decided" Hutch smiled fondly and deftly changed the subject. "Eat your pizza before it gets cold. You don't have to make any decisions tonight."

"You don't like Jessica very much, do you?" Starsky said thoughtfully, looking at his best friend intently.

"It's not that I don't like Jessica," Hutch replied, choosing his words with care. "It's just that I don't think she likes me that much. I think if she had her way, she'd keep you all to herself."

"That ain't gonna happen." Starsky told him firmly, smiling at his best friend warmly. "She wouldn't be the first girlfriend, yours or mine, that's tried to break us up and none of them have succeeded yet."

"Yeah, but none of them were pregnant either." Hutch said, immediately regretting his choice of words when he saw the hurt that sprang up in Starsky's eyes. Instantly, he began to apologize, "I'm sorry. I didn't mean that the way it sounded."

"Yes, you did." Starsky said with a heavy sigh. "And you're right…none of them have been pregnant before. But, I'm not going to let that change anything. No matter what Jessica thinks."

"A baby always changes things, partner. That's just a fact of life." Hutch said, "Even if you don't marry Jessica, you're still going to be a part of that baby's life."

"We're both going to be a part of this baby's life." Starsky said firmly. "You're gonna be Uncle Hutch."

Hutch laughed softly, the tension in the air broken. "Uncle Hutch, huh? Well, just don't expect me to change any dirty diapers. I'll leave that little chore to you."

"Gee, thanks. I thought this partnership was fifty-fifty."

"Not when it comes to changing diapers."

Both men broke into laughter at the image of either one of them changing a baby's diaper. Although both of them liked children and got along well with them, neither one of them had any experience to speak of with infants. Hutch was an only child and Starsky had only been four when his younger brother, Nicky, was born. All he could remember was feeling jealous because Nicky got all the attention. All he did was cry all the time and smelled funny a lot. Even with his large extended family back in New York, Starsky had never paid much attention to all the babies. They were no fun. He couldn't play with them like he could his older cousins.

By the time Hutch decided to go home, Starsky was feeling better, even though he knew that he still had some life altering decisions to make soon. He had always planned on getting married someday. The closest he had come was with Terry but she had turned down his proposal because it was made after they learned that she was going to die. Starsky had been taught, both by his parents and by his religious background, that marriage was a sacred event, blessed by god, and not something to be entered into lightly. And , that once you made that commitment, it was for life

Even after his father died, Starsky's mother had never dated another man or remarried. She still wore her wedding band and cherished her memories of Michael Starsky. That was the kind of marriage that Starsky had always envisioned for himself and it was not the sort of marriage that he saw himself having with Jessica.


	3. Chapter 3

**CHAPTER THREE**

**"**We have to do something soon," Jessica said, "I'm almost two months along. I'm already starting to show and people are starting to ask questions."

"Honey, I already told you that I don't think getting married right now is the best thing to do." Starsky said, "I promised to take care of you and the baby financially and I will."

"You just don't want to have to marry me." Jessica said sharply, tears welling up in her eyes. "I should have known you'd be just like every other man when it comes to that."

"I don't think we need to get married because society says we should just because you're pregnant." Starsky countered. "It'd be different if…" he stopped himself before he said something he knew he would end up regretting.

"If this baby had been planned, right?" Jessica snapped, finishing the sentence for him. "Or if we were in love."

"I don't want to argue with you," Starsky said, already worn down from the constant bickering between them since Jessica had confirmed that she was pregnant.

"But, it's true, isn't it? You don't love me." Jessica demanded.

"No, I don't." Starsky admitted, "Not the way I should for us to get married."

"Then I might as well just leave right now and get out of your life!" Jessica declared in a hurt voice, "Then you won't have to worry about me or the baby again!"

"I don't want you to leave!" Starsky said, struggling to hold his own temper in check. "That's my baby too and I have some rights even if we aren't married!"

"Don't talk to me about your rights!" Jessica said, tears running down her face. "You're a man. You can get away with just paying the bills and then looking the other way while I get stuck raising the kid." She grabbed her purse and headed for the door. "I'm only going to tell you this one time, David Starsky, if you don't marry me…I'll make damn sure you never see me or this baby ever again!"

Her words hung heavily in the air as she stormed out, slamming the door behind her. Starsky slumped down on the sofa and buried his face in his hands. Jessica had been insistent on marriage from the beginning and it was becoming clear that she wasn't about to listen to reason. Starsky could either marry her or risk never seeing his child, never getting to share in raising that child, and allowing his child to grown up without a father. None of those things were viable options for the brunet except for giving in to Jessica's demands. Marrying a woman he didn't love for the future of his unborn child.

Automatically, his hand reached for the phone to call Hutch. When the big blond answered, Starsky blurted out, "I'm going to marry Jessica."

"I'm on my way." Hutch said immediately. He knew that this was not a discussion that the two men could have over the phone. He could hear the pain in Starsky's voice and knew how much this decision was affecting the brunet. He knew from their previous talks that Starsky had been under an increasing amount of pressure from Jessica, who kept insisting on marriage. If she hadn't been pregnant, Starsky would have broken up with her long before now. Neither partner liked possessive, manipulative or demanding women and Jessica was rapidly turning out to be all three.

While he waited for Hutch to arrive, Starsky reached for the phone again. There was one more phone call he had to make before he lost his nerve. The phone rang four times on the other end of the line before his mother's soothing voice said,

"Hello?"

"Ma, It's me. David."

"Davey," his mother gushed, "What a nice surprise! It's not even Friday night. What's so important that you decided to call me in the middle of the week? You're not hurt again, are you?"

"No, I'm fine." Starsky said, swallowing hard to build up his courage. "I called to tell you that I'm getting married."

"Married? Oh, David, that's wonderful! What's her name?" His mother asked in an excited voice.

"Her name is Jessica and we'll be getting married in a few days, as soon as we get the license and the blood tests."

"Why so soon? And why not back home in the Temple?" Rachel asked. She grew silent and then said softly, "David, are you in trouble? Do you have to get married?"

"Yeah, Ma, I do. She's pregnant." Starsky admitted, feeling like a little boy who had done something bad and deserved to be punished.

"Oh, Davey…" Rachel whispered, the disappointment evident in her voice. "Weren't you being careful?"

"Of course we were." Starsky said, "But something went wrong. It happens."

"That doesn't mean you have to marry her." Rachel said, mirroring Hutch's words. "Are you sure it's your baby?"

"Yes, Ma…I'm sure it's mine. She wouldn't lie about something like that.""You're a good man, Davey." Rachel said, with a hint of sadness in her voice. "So much like your father. And I expect you to call me as soon as my grandchild is born so I can fly out there to see him or her."

"I will, Ma. I promise." Starsky said with a sad little smile. He hung up, feeling both relieved and depressed after talking with his mother. He knew that she would always love him unconditionally but he also knew that he had disappointed her by marrying outside the faith and not in an orthodox ceremony blessed in the temple. Despite the enlightened moral attitudes of the seventies, in the Jewish religion, it was still a grave sin to have unprotected sex outside of marriage.

Starsky shoved himself to his feet and went into the kitchen. Opening the kitchen cabinet, he took out a seldom used bottle of Jim Beam and screwed off the cap. He had just poured himself a healthy shot when the front door opened. Hutch walked in and took in the scene with a practiced eye, commenting dryly, "You decide to start the party without me?"

"Be my guest. There's plenty." Starsky said, waving his hand at the bottle sitting on the counter.

"You planning on getting drunk?"

"Maybe. Right now that sounds like a pretty good idea." Starsky said with a hint of sarcasm. He drank down the whiskey, grimacing as the hard liquor burned its way down his throat to his stomach. "I called Ma and told her about the baby."

"How did she take it?"

"About as well as can be expected I guess." Starsky said glumly. "She said she loved me and that I was a good man, just like Pop. But, she was disappointed, I could tell."

"That was a lot to lay on her all at once."

"Yeah, I'm marrying a Gentile that I got pregnant outside of marriage and without the blessing of the Rabbi." Starsky mumbled, pouring himself a second drink, even stronger than the first.  
"Go easy on that, pal…we have to work tomorrow." Hutch advised him.

"Right now, I don't give a fuck." Starsky said. He grabbed the bottle of whiskey and went into the living room, slumping down on the sofa. Hutch sat down beside him. If Starsky was determined to get wasted than the least that Hutch could do was watch over him and make sure that he made it to bed when he'd had enough.

Three days later, David Michael Starsky and Jessica Lynn Arnet were married in a civil ceremony at the downtown courthouse with Hutch as their only witness. There were no invited guests and no celebration planned for afterwards. Jessica wore a simple gold band that Starsky had bought at a pawn shop while Starsky wore a matching gold ring, that had Jessica insisted on, to signify the change in his marital status. What should have been one of the happiest days of his life had turned out to be one of the most miserable and disappointing ones.


	4. Chapter 4

**CHAPTER FOUR**

Starsky apprehensively unlocked the door to his apartment and went inside, already fairly certain of what he would find. He wasn't disappointed. The living room was in disarray, with the morning newspaper scattered on the floor, dirty glasses and dishes on the coffee table, and a new stain on the carpet that hadn't been there that morning. A quick glance through the open bedroom door revealed Jessica sprawled out on the bed, fast asleep.

Starsky sighed as he began to straighten up the mess. Within a few days of their marriage, Jessica had made it clear that she didn't intend to fit into the mold of a traditional housewife. She refused to clean or cook, leaving Starsky to his own devices. The only difference in his usual routine was the fact that they shared the same bed at night. He knew that he had made a grave mistake by giving in to her demands to marry her but was determined to stick it out at least until the baby was born. He had his doubts about Jessica's ability to be any better mother than she was a wife. He began to suspect that she had trapped him into this marriage by deliberately getting pregnant, but he wasn't sure why. She didn't seem any happier than he was.

He had just put a pan of stew on the stove to heat up for supper when Jessica came out of the bedroom, stifling a yawn. She looked as sexy as hell in one of his old tee shirts, but Starsky was quickly losing interest in his new bride. She didn't even seem to want him touching her anymore now that they were married. The swell of her pregnant belly was clearly evident. Starsky was beginning to feel as if he were sharing his living space with an irresponsible roommate instead of the woman he had made his wife.

"I made some stew. Do you want some?" He asked politely.

"Naw," Jessica said, her Brooklyn accent more noticeable when she first woke up. "Everything I eat comes right back up so why bother?"

"You still need to eat. For the baby." Starsky scolded her gently.

"The baby…the baby." Jessica sneered, "That's all you care about anyway. You sure don't care about me."

"If I didn't care about you, I wouldn't have married you." Starsky tried to reason with her even though, down deep, he knew that her words had a ring of truth to them.

"You just married me because I threatened to leave and never let you see the baby if you didn't." Jessica reminded him.

"You got what you wanted, Jess." He said in a weary voice, too tired for another argument. "What more do you want from me?"

"Maybe a little respect. After all, I am your wife."

"That works both ways." Starsky mumbled under his breath. He dished up a bowl of the stew and sat down at the table to eat his meal alone. He glanced through a stack of mail lying on the table as he ate, outraged when he found an overdraft notice from his bank. His checking account was overdrawn by almost two hundred dollars. "What's this all about?" He demanded, showing the bank statement to an uninterested Jessica.

"I needed some new clothes. Nothing I have fits anymore." She said without any remorse. "What's the big deal? You got enough money in your savings account to cover it. We wouldn't have this problem if you'd just let me use one of your credit cards."

"I gave you that check to buy groceries with!" Starsky reminded her angrily, "Not to go out and buy new clothes!"

"Well, this wouldn't have happened if you'd just put my name on the account. I am your wife after all."

"And if I did that, you'd have us bankrupt before the baby even gets here." He sighed heavily. "I'll take care of this tomorrow and on my next day off, we'll go to the bank and open a checking account in your name. I'll put a hundred dollars in it each payday and you'll have to make it last for whatever you need between checks."

"What about the baby? I need to start buying stuff for the baby." Jessica wheedled.

"If you need something for the baby, I'll put it on my credit card. Let me know and we'll go to get it together." Starsky said.

"Yeah, because you don't trust me." Jessica snorted.

"For once, you're right. You already proved that you can't be trusted to budget our money."

"What about the doctor? I need money for the doctor."

"I put you on my insurance. That will cover any of your visits to the doctor and the hospital bill."

"Fine." Jessica said, realizing that she had been beaten. For now. She narrowed her eyes as she glared at her handsome new husband. When she married Starsky, she had been convinced that she could wrap him around her little finger but had quickly discovered that David Starsky was no pushover. He could be generous and loving to a fault but he could also be just as hardnosed and tough when he was pushed too far. Jessica knew that the only hold she had over him was the baby and she would continue to use that to her advantage for as long as she could. She wouldn't let him use her and then toss her aside the way her last lover had.

Starsky finished his solitary meal and put the bowl into the sink to wash later with the rest of the dishes. He missed the relaxing evenings spent with Hutch after work, hanging out and drinking or just watching TV. But, since his marriage, any time off duty that he spent with Hutch was sure to start another fight. Hutch was right about one thing. Jessica seemed to want Starsky all to herself, even if she acted as if she could barely tolerate his company at times, and the baby had changed everything.

Jessica went back into the bedroom and shut the door, leaving Starsky alone to watch TV. On an impulse, he grabbed his jacket and left the apartment. He needed to spend some time with Hutch. That was his only salvation these days. He stopped on his way to Hutch's apartment to buy a twelve pack of beer and some potato chips. Parking his car in front of Venice Place, he locked the doors and climbed the enclosed staircase to Hutch's second floor apartment. He turned the knob and opened the door, startled to find Hutch in a passionate embrace with a pretty blonde bombshell.

The couple broke apart and the girl scurried into the tiny alcove where Hutch had his bed, embarrassed by Starsky's unexpected arrival. Hutch grinned at his equally embarrassed partner and said, "Did I ever tell you that you have lousy timing, buddy?"

"Sorry. I didn't know you had a date tonight." Starsky apologized, holding out the beer as a peace offering.

"I didn't." Hutch said, with a wicked grin. "It doesn't matter. I think your arrival pretty much put an end to any romance tonight." As if to emphasize his words, the pretty blonde reappeared and quickly let herself out of the apartment without a word.

"I didn't mean to interrupt your evening." Starsky said as he slumped down on the sofa.

"It's okay. She wasn't my type anyway. So, what are you doing here? Another fight with Jessica?" Hutch guessed from the expression on Starsky's face.

"She over drafted my checking account." Starsky said, "By two hundred dollars."

"Ouch…" Hutch said sympathetically. He knew that Starsky had to get by on the modest amount he had left over each payday after paying his usual bills and sending his mother money each month. There was little room for extravagances and definitely no room for Jessica's overspending. Hutch remembered too many similar situations with his ex-wife, Vanessa, who was constantly maxing out their credit cards and running up hundreds of dollars in debt, bills that Hutch had had to repay as part of their divorce settlement. One of the reasons they had separated and eventually divorced was because of Vanessa's excessive lifestyle and her resentment when Hutch turned his back on the Hutchison family fortune to make it on his own merits. Without his family's money to fall back on, Hutch couldn't give her the lifestyle that she craved and that she felt was rightfully hers.

Starsky looked at his partner with a bitter smile. "Go ahead," he said, "Tell me I told you so. You were right. I should never have agreed to marry her just because she was pregnant."

"Hey, buddy…you just did what you felt was the right thing to do…at least for the baby." Hutch consoled him gently. "Nobody can blame you for that. I'm just sorry that Jessica is making your life so miserable. Is she even trying to make a go of things?"  
"No. Most of the time she acts like she doesn't even want me around." Starsky admitted. "It's like I don't even know who she is anymore."

"Has she changed that much since you got married?"

"Oh, yeah. She's turned into a complete stranger lately." Starsky looked at his closest friend and confided his darkest secret. "Hutch, I think she got pregnant on purpose just so I'd marry her…but I'll be damned if I know why. She sure doesn't act like she wants to be married to me."

"So what are you going to do?"

"Stick it out until the baby comes and if things don't change, then I'm going to tell her that I want a divorce." Starsky declared, already feeling like a failure.

"What about the baby?"

"What about the baby? I'm still going to take care of the baby; nothing is going to change that. I'm going to tell her that I want joint custody."

"Do you think she'll go along with that?"

"She'd better if she knows what's good for her or I'll fight her in court." The brunet said firmly. He sighed heavily. "Sometimes, I don't even think she wants the baby…not the way she acts most of the time."

"She doesn't want the baby. She doesn't want to be married to you. Then why in the hell did she get pregnant in the first place?"

"Maybe it was just an accident like she said." Starsky intoned in a flat voice.

"But, you don't believe that, do you?"

"No, I don't…not anymore."

"What do you really know about her, Starsk?" Hutch asked gently. "Except for the fact that she comes from New York and that she likes a lot of the same things you do?"

"Not much, I guess." Starsky admitted, "She said she was an only child and that her parents died in a car wreck when she was 14. She spent the next four years in and out of foster homes until she turned 18. She graduated from high school…barely…and supported herself by doing whatever work she could find. Usually as a waitress or a hostess, sometimes as a barmaid," he frowned as he tried to remember the scant details that Jessica had told him about her life. "She moved to Bay City from New York four months ago after breaking up with an old boyfriend that used to beat on her."

"And you just happened to run into her at Huggy's where she was working as a waitress." Hutch said, finishing the story. "Maybe we need to check into her story and see if it all checks out." He suggested, knowing that Starsky might not take that idea very well.

"Why would she want to lie about any of it?" Starsky demanded. Even though he was a tough, streetwise cop and a native New Yorker, the brunet could be so trusting and naïve at times that it amazed Hutch, who was a born cynic.

"Why does anybody lie about their past?" Hutch said, "To hide something. It's worth checking out."

"Do what you want." Starsky said flippantly. "But, I don't want any part of it."

"Why? Because you're afraid to find out the truth?" Hutch demanded, knowing full well that he was risking Starsky's volatile temper with his comment.

"Fuck you, Hutchinson." Starsky said, "She's still my wife and it's still my baby she's carrying." He rose to his feet, somewhat unsteadily, and made his way to the door.

As he left the apartment, Hutch looked at the closed door and muttered under his breath,

"For your sake, I hope you're right, partner. I hope it is your baby."

After leaving Hutch's apartment, Starsky sat in his car for several long minutes, lost in his own thoughts. He felt guilty about snapping at Hutch like that but he knew the big blond wouldn't take it personally. The stress of the job, combined with the stress of his unhappy marriage, was beginning to wear on his nerves and he took it out on the one person he knew wouldn't hate him for it. Sighing heavily, he started the engine and headed back home for another long, lonely night.


	5. Chapter 5

**CHAPTER FIVE**

Hutch hung up the phone with a dissatisfied sigh. The parts of Jessica's story that he had been able to verify seemed to check out. Her parents had been killed just as she had told Starsky and she had spent four years in and out of foster homes. She had lived in New York for most of her life and had supported herself working primarily as a stripper in several sleazy New York clubs. Hutch suspected there was more to her past than what met the eye butwas at a loss to find out any more information. She had never been arrested, not even been given a parking ticket. His New York contacts were severely limited at best. Even Huggy Bear, one of the detective's prime sources of information, had only minimal contacts back east.

The stress of his deteriorating marriage was beginning to take its toll on Starsky. The normally energetic and spirited brunet was becoming irritable and short tempered at work. The office grapevine had already spread the rumors about his sudden marriage to his pregnant girlfriend and some of their co-workers felt that Starsky had gotten what he deserved because of his promiscuous single lifestyle. More than once, Hutch had come to the brunet's defense when he overheard the gossip. Only Hutch truly knew how much Starsky was suffering for his error in judgment when it came to Jessica.

Starsky's personal appearance was also starting to show signs of his failing marriage. His hair was longer than usual and there were permanent dark circles under his eyes. Even those sapphire orbs had lost their sparkle and mischievous gleam. His trademark crooked smile was rarely seen and, when it was, it was only a mere reflection of it's former brilliance. Hutch knew that he was almost constantly broke, often borrowing money from Hutch for lunch and gas for his car. He always managed to pay Hutch back eventually but it was apparent that he was financially strapped for cash. Hutch knew that he had been buying things for the baby and was looking for a larger apartment since his place only had one bedroom. And he was still sending money home each month to his mother to help her with her bills.

"I'm out of here." Starsky said, tossing a report down on the desk in front of Hutch. "Jess had a doctor's appointment today and I wanna find out what he had to say."

"Why? Is Jessica having any problems?" Hutch asked in a concerned voice. He may not care for the woman or the way she was treating Starsky, but he knew that Starsky already loved the little life that he had helped to create and was worried about the pregnancy.

"No, she just seems to be gaining a lot of weight." Starsky said offhandedly.

"Why didn't you take off and go with her to see the doctor?"

"I wanted to but she wouldn't let me. She said it would make her too nervous if I was there."

"Are things getting better with you two?" Hutch asked, lowering his voice so nobody else in the squad room overheard him.

Starsky shrugged his shoulders slightly. "Sometimes things seem to be okay, then the next day she's acting like she can't stand me again. I feel like I'm walking on eggshells around her." A thin smile tugged at his lips. "The other night we actually had sex for the first time in almost a month."

Hutch frowned at the comment. The brunet had only been married for four months and his marriage was already in serious trouble. And the baby wasn't due for another three months yet. The big blond wondered if Starsky had enough stamina to last that long.

He watched with a heavy heart as his best friend left the squad room, his usual bounce and infamous strut gone from his step. Hutch had a suspicion that this experience would turn Starsky against the idea of marriage, the same way that Hutch's marriage to Vanessa had done to him.

Starsky returned home to find Jessica watching a game show on TV. The aroma of something cooking in the kitchen filled the air. The brunet was instantly on guard. The only time Jessica cooked for him was when she wanted something, usually money. Jessica smiled brightly and awkwardly shoved herself to her feet. She was getting awfully heavy in the final months of her pregnancy but she continued to tell Starsky that there was nothing to worry about. The doctor had presumably told her it was just because of a lack of exercise.

"I made your favorite." Jessica gushed. "The Paul Muni special."

Starsky nodded and went into the bathroom to wash up. The Paul Muni special, as his mother called it, was simple pot roast with carrots, potatoes and a rich, thick broth seasoned with herbs and spices. Jessica was a fair enough cook, but nobody had ever come close to making the dish as well as his mother except for Hutch. Jessica tended to overcook it, leaving the meat dry and she never got the spices and herbs right.

When he came out of the bathroom, Jessica was sitting the food on the table and lighting the candles. Now he knew that she wanted something and he didn't hesitate to say so. "Okay, Jess. What do you want?" He asked as he sat down in his usual place at the table.

"What makes you think I want something?" She asked, batting her eyes innocently.

"Can the act, sweetheart." He said with a trace of sarcasm in his voice. "You never cook for me unless you want something. I told you there's no extra money this month and I'm not touching the money in the saving account, what little there is left of it."

"You always think I want money." Jessica told him with a pout.

"That's because you usually do." Starsky reminded her. "Okay, if you don't want money, then what do you want?"

"I want to move back to New York." She said casually, as she sat down across from him and began to eat.

"Are you crazy? My life is here. My job is here." Starsky told her, "I can't just leave like that."

"Why not? You could be a cop back in New York just as easily as you can here…probably even easier if all those stories you told me about your father were true."

"Leave my father out of this." Starsky said, rubbing the bridge of his nose with his thumb and forefinger. He could feel the start of a migraine coming on. He had been plagued with violent headaches ever since his return from Viet Nam. He took medication that usually kept them under control but they had increased in both frequency and intensity since the beginning of his disastrous marriage, often accompanied by vomiting and an extreme sensitivity to light. "We're not moving back to New York and that's final. I'm not leaving Bay City."

"You mean you're not going to leave your precious partner, don't you?" Jessica snapped, knowing exactly which buttons to push to irritate Starsky the most. Hutch had been a constant source of irritation between them since the marriage. Jessica seemed to resent Hutch and the time he spent with Starsky.

"Hutch is not just my partner, he's my best friend. You knew that when we met." Starsky reminded her, holding onto his temper. "And, no, I will not break up a nine year partnership and an even longer friendship just because you got it into your head to go back to New York."

"I don't need your permission to go anywhere." Jessie said curtly. "I may be your wife but you don't own me. If I want to go back to New York, I can do that without you!"

"If you try to leave before the baby is born, I'll do everything in my power to stop you." Starsky threatened.

"Like what?" Jessica snorted, "Lock me up and throw away the key?"

"If that's what it takes. Besides, the doctor would never allow you travel that far in your condition."

"Since when do you care about my condition?" Jessica snapped, slamming down her water glass so hard that it shattered. She cursed as she grabbed her napkin and began to sponge up the mess.

"We're not moving back to New York!" Starsky repeated decisively, as he shoved back his chair and stood up abruptly, his appetite gone. "And that's final!" Turning on his heel, he grabbed his jacket and headed out the door to the one place he knew he could find some peace. Hutch's apartment.

Hutch didn't seem to be that surprised when Starsky showed up on his doorstep. The brunet was becoming a regular fixture at Hutch's apartment after one of his fights with Jessica. He grabbed the brunet a cold beer from the refrigerator and handed it to him without saying a word. He knew that Starsky would tell him what had happened when he was ready to and not beforehand.

Starsky drank his first beer and started on his second before finally saying, "Jessica wants to move back to New York. She implied that she'll go by herself if I don't go with her."

"You're not seriously considering leaving, are you?" Hutch asked in a stunned voice. This was the one thing he hadn't anticipated. The thought of Starsky leaving Bay City for good was something the big blond wasn't sure he could handle. They were too close, their lives too intertwined, to ever be happy working the streets with anyone else.

"Of course not." Starsky said with a snort. "I told her that my life was here. My career was here." He paused and then added fondly, "You're here."

"I bet that went over real well." Hutch said dryly, finishing his own beer and getting another one.

"That's when she threatened to go back to New York by herself. She said that I didn't own her just because we were married."

"What did you say to that?"

"I told her that if she tried to leave before the baby was born, I'd do everything in my power to stop her." He looked at his friend and said sadly, "Hutch, if she goes back to New York, she'll make sure that I never get to see the baby, to be part of its life, just for spite."

"Don't worry, buddy. It hasn't come to that yet. Maybe she's just trying to see how far she can push you."

"Yeah, well this is one thing she's not going to force me to do." Starsky said, making a thinly veiled reference to his marriage to a woman he could never love for the sake of an unborn child that he felt responsible for and already loved. "I'm not moving back to New York."

"You know, Vanessa was the one who wanted to move out here after we got married." Hutch said with a sad little smile. "She was positive she was going to hit the big time as a model."

"I guess I should thank her for that." Starsky said with a fond glance at his best friend. "Or we would never have met."

"Yeah…" Hutch agreed "Anyway…things were already pretty rocky between us before that. It didn't take me long to figure out how different we were, after I stopped thinking with my dick and started using my brain."

"She sure didn't like me very much." Starsky snorted as he remembered the ex-Mrs. Hutchinson.

"She didn't like anybody that didn't have money and drive a fancy car." Hutch paused, lost for a moment in his own thoughts. "I knew it was over for a long time before she finally left but, I kept hanging on…hoping things would get better. I guess I just didn't want to admit that I was a failure."

"You weren't a failure," Starsky said firmly "Vanessa was a bitch that didn't know how good she had it until she threw it away."

"Sounds a lot like you and Jessica." Hutch said with a thin little smile. "Looks like we both know how to pick 'em."

The two friends exchanged a glance that said more than words ever could.


	6. Chapter 6

**CHAPTER SIX**

Jessica was in the shower and Starsky was running late for work when there was a knock at the front door. Starsky pulled on his shoulder harness and fastened the buckle, Starsky pulled open the front door, and was startled to find his younger brother, Nicholas, standing there with a wide grin plastered on his face.

"Surprise, big brother." Nicky said, in a cocky voice, noting the irritated expression on Starsky's face and ignoring it. "Aren't you going to invite me in?"

"What are you doing here, Nicky?" Starsky asked in a surprised voice, stepping aside. Separated at a young age, the Starsky brothers had a strained relationship. They seldom saw each other, the last time had been over four years ago when Nicky had came to Bay City for a visit that had turned out to be an excuse for trying to make a quick buck. Some harsh words had been exchanged between the two brothers when Starsky confronted him about the source of his income Like Jessica, Nicky and Hutch did not care for each other, they were both jealous of Starsky's relationship with the big blond. Nicky resented Hutch for taking what he felt was his rightful place in Starsky's affections, and for commanding most of Starsky's attention.

"Hey, I was in town on business for a few days and figured I could crash here." Nicky said, brushing past his brother and going to the refrigerator for a beer. His eyes lit up when Jessica came out of the bathroom toweling her hair, which was still wet from her shower. She was dressed in a terrycloth robe that did little to hide her advanced state of pregnancy. "Ma told me you had to tie the knot because you got careless." Nicky said, "But I never expected you to land such a gorgeous creature."

Jessica blushed at Nicky's flirtatious comment and looked at Starsky for an explanation of the stranger standing in her kitchen, making himself at home. "Nicky, this is my wife, Jessica. Jess, this is my brother, Nicky." Starsky said in the way of an introduction.

"Pleased to meet you, sis." Nicky said with a leer. "I'm going to be staying for a few days so I'm sure that we'll be getting better acquainted."

"Nicky, I'm late. I have to go." Starsky said, "We'll talk when I get home tonight."

"Sure, go on. Your pretty little wife can keep me company. You mustn't keep Blondie waiting." Nicky said, diverting his attention from his older brother to his brother's wife. Ignoring the reference to Hutch, Starsky shrugged into his jacket and rushed out the door.

His mood was immediately apparent to Hutch when Starsky pulled up in front of Venice Place.

"What's wrong now?" Hutch asked as he climbed into the car. "Not another round with Jessica about moving back to New York?"

"No," Starsky said with a heavy sigh, the rear tires squealing in protest as he pulled away from the curb. "Nicky's in town."

"Terrific." Hutch snorted, "What's he after this time? Money?"

"Probably. I didn't have time to find out."

"You're just not having any luck at all lately, are you?" Hutch said with a thin smile.

"No, and Nicky was already flirting with Jess when I left."

"Oh, come on, Starsk. You really don't think he'd try to put the moves on her, do you?"

"No, but with Nicky you never can tell." Starsky said with a thin smile.

"So much for brotherly love, huh?"

"I'm just tired, that's all." Starsky said, taking a corner a bit too sharply and throwing Hutch sideways against the door.

"Hey, watch out." Hutch complained, rubbing his injured shoulder in protest.

"Sorry." Starsky said, slowing down to a more reasonable speed for the rest of the drive to headquarters. He smiled at his partner apologetically. "It's just that I've got enough to deal with right now. I'm not up for a visit from Nicky."

"Hopefully, he won't be here long. He'll try to put the bite on you for money and when you tell him you don't have it, he'll split."

"I hope you're right because I'm spread thin enough as it is. Any tighter and I'm gonna snap like a rubber band." The brunet grumbled as he pulled up into his favorite parking spot right in front of the police headquarters. Although there was a private parking lot for police vehicles behind the building, Starsky seldom used it unless he had to. There was a dejected slump to the brunet's shoulders as he climbed the steps to the front entrance to the building.

The day passed quickly and Starsky reluctantly headed for home that evening, to deal not only with his distant wife but his younger brother too. The sound of laughter echoed through the house as he opened the door and let himself inside. Jessica and Nicky were standing in the kitchen, leaning against the counter as they shared a cup of coffee. They both turned to look at Starsky as if he were an intruder in his own home.

"Hey, bro…" Nicky said smoothly. "Your pretty wife here has been telling me how you didn't want to marry her when you found out that you'd knocked her up. Is that true, Davey boy?"

"If she says so." Starsky said, brushing past Nicky to help himself to a cup of coffee. It was the special blend that Jessica insisted on buying, which Starsky didn't care for. He took two sips and then dumped the cup in the sink.

"David, you know how expensive that is, you shouldn't waste it." Jessica scolded him.

"Damn right I know how expensive it is. It's my money that pays for it." Starsky snapped back in an irritated tone. Although he had managed to curb her excessive spending, it was an on going battle to keep her from cleaning out his bank account with her extravagant taste for gourmet coffee and rich foods.

"Don't mind him," Jessica told Nicky with a snicker. "He always comes home in a cranky mood. He'd rather spent time with that partner of his than he would with his wife."

"At least with Hutch I know where I stand." Starsky growled his patience wearing thin with Jessica's veiled insults.

"Sure ya do," Nicky said, adding a veiled insult of his own, "Wherever Blondie wants you to stand…doing just what he tells ya to do."

"Shut up, Nicky." Starsky snapped at his younger brother. Both of them knew just how to push his buttons and he was not in the mood to be ganged up on in his own home. "I don't remember telling you that you could stay here when I left this morning."

"I told him he could stay." Jessica cut in with a smile. "It's about time I got to know at least someone else in your family." She looked at Nicky and batted her long, thick eyelashes. "I still haven't met your mother. David won't even let me talk to her on the phone when he calls her on Fridays."

"She wouldn't like you anyway. You're not good enough for her precious Davey. You're a Gentile and you tricked him into marrying you by getting pregnant." Nicky sneered. "That's two strikes against you as far as Ma is concerned."

"Shut up about Ma, Nicky." Starsky warned him sharply. "At least I try to help her out each month, that's a hell of lot more then you do!"

"How the fuck would you know?" Nicky demanded, raising his voice. "You're not there listening to her whine all the time about not having enough money. I am!" His eyes narrowed, "Do you know what she did with the last check you sent? She loaned most of it to old man Marky who lives down the street. I'm the one who had to pay the electric bill so they wouldn't shut off the lights."

Starsky felt his infamous temper rise but he held his tongue. The animosity between the two brothers went deep with Nicky believing that Starsky had always been their mother's favorite, while Starsky still bore old resentments towards his mother for sending him three thousand miles away from home while she kept Nicky with her. Every time the two brothers got together, Nicky seemed to take pleasure in deliberately baiting his older brother.

"You didn't pay the electric bill." Starsky said in a deceptively calm voice. "I did. I sent Ma an extra check last month to cover it.'

"That's right," Jessica sneered, "He can send his mom extra money but he can't give me enough money to buy a new dress."

"Fuck you both!" Starsky said sharply. "I'm outta here."

"That's right…" Jessica called after him as he headed for the door. "Run to Hutch just like you always do! You might as well be married to him! You spend more time there then you do here!"


	7. Chapter 7

**CHAPTER 7**

**A/N: I want to thank Brooke for the idea for this chapter. It has not been beta read, so any mistakes are my own.**

Things were just getting warmed up between Hutch and the leggy brunette stewardess when they were distracted by the ringing of the telephone.

"Let it ring, baby…" Sandy cooed as she nuzzled the side of his neck suggestively, as her hands fumbled with his belt.

"I have to answer it," Hutch reminded her "It could be work." He reached out a long arm and grabbed the receiver. Sandy sighed and leaned back against the sofa with a pout. She had a feeling her plans for the evening were about to be changed. "This better be important." Hutch growled into the phone.

"Hutch? It's Huggy." The familiar voice drawled in his ear "You might want to come and get Curly. He's in no condition to drive if you catch my drift."

"How long has he been there?" Hutch asked, concern for his wayward partner cooling his ardor.

"About three hours and he's been drinking the hard stuff for the last two." Huggy told him, "I just got here myself or I would have called you sooner."

"Don't let him go anywhere. I'm on my way."

"Don't worry. I got his keys, he ain't going anywhere." Huggy told him with a chuckle. "He handed 'em over like a good boy as soon as he saw me."

Hutch smiled faintly as he hung up the phone. He was grateful for a friend like Huggy. Both men knew that the black bartender would watch out for them if they had too much to drink. That was one of the reasons they usually did their drinking at The Pits.

"I have to go." He told Sandy, as he pushed himself to his feet, quickly buttoning the front of his shirt. He pulled some loose bills out of his pocket and handed them to her. "There's the money for a cab. Just make sure and lock the door when you leave."

"Gee, thanks." Sandy said sarcastically, her dissatisfaction with the evening obvious in the tone of her voice.

Ignoring her, Hutch grabbed his jacket and slipped it on, digging his keys out of his jeans as he headed out the door. He was relieved when his temperamental clunker started on the first try. Usually he had to coax the engine to get it to turn over, especially when it was cold.

Twenty minutes later, he was pulling up in front of the Pits. As he climbed out of his car, he saw Starsky's car parked in the alley beside the bar. He also saw a couple leaning against the brick wall of the building, locked in a passionate embrace. The big blonde immediately recognized the heedful of dark curls and the lean, muscular build of his partner. As he turned in that direction, he also recognized the woman who was rubbing up against him suggestively. Her name was Chrissy and she was one of the local hookers.

"Hey, buddy," Hutch said quietly, as he stepped up behind his friend and reached out to rest a hand on his shoulder. "What are you doing out here?"

"Hey!" Chrissy protested the interruption. "Why don't you mind your own business? Unless you wanna pay extra for a threesome."

"Hey, Hutch!" Starsky said with a drunken grin, as he looked over his shoulder. "What are doing here?"

"Huggy called me to give you a ride home." Hutch said

"Don't wanna go home." Starsky declared with a pout. He turned his attention back to the woman he had backed up against the wall. He leaned down to nuzzle the side of her neck. "Wanna stay here and have some fun for a chance…"

Hutch sighed and dug a twenty dollar bill out of his pocket. He slipped it down the front of Chrissy's blouse, between her ample breasts. "Split." He said "I got it from here."

Chrissy untangled herself from Starsky's amorous embrace and straightened her clothes. "Fucking fags…" she muttered under her breath as she turned and strolled away. "Couldn't get it up for a real woman even if they tried."

Ignoring the hooker's sarcastic remark, Hutch took Starsky's arm and guided him back into the bar through the back door that opened into the kitchen. The brunet balked, still pouting at his partner. "Your timing sucks, Blondie…" he slurred as he stumbled, leaning heavily against Hutch until he recovered his balance. "I was just about to get me some."

"What you were just about to get was relieved of whatever money you have left." Hutch told him dryly as he steered him into the main part of the bar. Huggy was busy tending bar. When he saw the big blond, he nodded at one of his waitresses to take over. When she relieved him of his duties, he walked over to Hutch and said, "Man, am I glad to see you. He is wasted." He ran his gaze over Starsky who was leaning against Hutch with his eyes half closed. Hutch had his arm wrapped tightly around the brunet's waist to keep him on his feet.

"I found him out back with Chrissy." Hutch said "I told her to split."

"Shit." Huggy said with a scowl. "I saw her in here and ran her out. I don't need the likes of her hanging around and bothering my customers." He looked at the big blond apologetically. "Curly must have slipped outside while I was busy."

"No harm done," Hutch said with a thin smile. "Thanks for calling me. I'm gonna take him back to my place so he can sleep it off."

"You gonna call his ball and chain and let her know where he is?" Huggy said with a snort.

"No, I doubt if she'd even give a fuck." Hutch said sourly. "She's probably the reason he's in this condition anyway."

"Man, that bitch really has him fucked up." Huggy said with a shake of his head.

"Tell me about it." Hutch said grimly. "Thanks again for calling. Keep an eye on his car. We'll pick it up tomorrow."

"You know I will." Huggy said with a grin. "I let anything happen to his 'baby' and he'll have my hide." The tall thin black man watched as Hutch helped Starsky through the crowd and out the front door. Sighing heavily, he returned to his duties behind the bar.

Hutch managed to get Starsky into the front seat before the brunet passed out entirely. Closing the door gently, he crossed to the driver's side and slid in beneath the wheel. Starsky was slumped in the seat, his head resting against the glass on the passenger's side, snoring softly. Hutch put the key in the ignition and coaxed the engine to life. With a heavy sigh, he headed back towards his own apartment.

When he reached Venice Place, he managed to arouse the intoxicated brunet enough to get him out of the car and across the sidewalk to the entrance to the enclosed stairway that led to Hutch's upstairs apartment. Realizing that Starsky was too drunk to manage the steps on his own, Hutch lifted him over his shoulder in a fireman's carry and started up the steps.

"Hey," Starsky complained in a slurred voice, one hand reaching down to clutch at Hutch's belt tightly. "Why's everything upside down?"

"Because you're upside down, mushbrain." Hutch said as he laboriously climbed the steps, grunting under Starsky's added weight. Reaching the landing, he managed to unlock his apartment door and get inside, before unceremoniously dumping Starsky on the sofa with a groan.

"Ohhhhh," Starsky said with a groan of his own, squeezing his eyes shut tightly. "Why's the room spinning so fast?"

"Because you're wasted, that's why." Hutch grumbled as he went into the kitchen to make a pot of black coffee. Behind him, he heard Starsky scramble to his feet, followed by the slamming of the bathroom door. Through the thin wooden panel he heard the unmistakable sound of retching. With a smirk on his lips, Hutch finished making the coffee, and then went to check on his inebriated friend.

He found the brunet sprawled on the floor with his back against the tub and his legs stretched out in front of him. The sour smell of vomit hung in the air. Starsky was awake but barely. Hutch grabbed a washcloth and wet it with cold water. Kneeling beside his friend, he gently bathed the smaller man's face and neck with the wet cloth.

"How ya doing?" He asked quietly as he tended to the brunet with loving care.

"Ohhh, Hu'sh…" Starsky moaned pitifully "I don't feel so good…"

"I wonder why." Hutch snorted, as he tossed the washrag in the general direction of the hamper. Gripping the brunet under the arms, he rose to his feet, pulling Starsky up with him. Starsky's face blanched and he swayed unsteadily as Hutch slipped one arm around his waist and helped him back into the living room. Easing him down onto the sofa, Hutch went into the kitchen to pour him a cup of hot, strong coffee. Opening one of the cabinets, he took out a bottle of aspirin and popped the top, shaking three of the white tablets out into the palm of his hand. Filling a glass with water, he carefully carried the water and the coffee back over to the sofa, sitting his burden down on the coffee table.

"Take these." He said, handing Starsky the aspirins and the water. "Then you can have some coffee…if you think you can keep it down."

Starsky took the pills and put them in his mouth, taking a long swallow of the water to wash them down. He still looked a bit green but better then he did before. Hutch sat down on the sofa beside him and handed him the cup of coffee. "Careful, it's hot." He warned him as the brunet gently wrapped his fingers around the cup.

Hutch eyed his friend with a practiced eye. "What happened this time?" he asked in a concerned voice. Starsky rarely drank anything stronger than beer and when he did, there was usually a reason. Not that Jessica didn't give him a reason to drink.

"Same old shit." Starsky mumbled, as he took a cautious sip of the coffee. He made a face at the bitter taste and sat the cup back down on the coffee table. "It's bad enough when she starts her shit…Nicky being there doesn't help any. They both started in on me when I got home tonight and I told 'em both to get fucked."

Hutch hid a smile of satisfaction. That was the Starsky he knew and loved. It was no secret that there was no love lost between the big blond and his partner's younger brother. Whenever Nick Starsky showed up, trouble usually followed. One of Starsky's biggest weaknesses was his loyalty, especially to his family. He turned a blind eye to his brother's faults, always ready to forgive and forget. Someday, Hutch was afraid that Starsky was going to regret that undying loyalty to Nicky.

"I'll get some blankets and pillows." Hutch said "Why don't you lay down and sleep it off? We can talk more in the morning." He pushed himself to his feet and went into his bedroom to get the extra bedding. By the time he returned, Starsky was already lying face down on the sofa, sleeping soundly. With a fond smile, Hutch eased a pillow under his head and covered him with the blanket. With a yawn of his own, he headed back to his own bed to get a few hours sleep.


	8. Chapter 8

**CHAPTER EIGHT**

"Fuck!" Starsky growled, looking through his wallet once more, frustrated and, his anger increasing rapidly.

"What's wrong?" Hutch asked, eyeing his partner closely.

"I can't find my credit card!" Starsky snapped, shoving his wallet back into his jeans angrily. "And my last twenty bucks is missing too."

"It's okay. I got it." Hutch said, taking an extra five dollar bill from his wallet to pay for Starsky's lunch.

"I bet Jessica took it," Starsky said angrily "She wanted to borrow it last night and I told her no. she must have taken it while I was asleep."

"You sure Nicky didn't take it?" Hutch said cautiously. He knew he was trending on dangerous ground saying anything bad about Nicky but the truth was, he just didn't trust him.

"If he did, I'll break every one of his fingers before I kick his ass all the way back to New York." Starsky declared. He sighed heavily. Nicky had been in town for a week, adding to the turmoil in the Starsky household. He'd already hit Starsky up for a loan, getting pissed when the brunet had refused. visits.

Distracted by the missing money and credit card, Starsky found it hard to keep his mind on work for the rest of the afternoon. Tied up in an arrest close to the end of the day, Starsky was later than usual getting home that evening. He found Nicky and Jessica enjoying a drink on the sofa, the remains of a take out meal littering the kitchen table.

"So, you finally decided to come home." Jessica said when the brunet walked in the door.

"I called and told you I was going to be late." Starsky said, poking through the leftovers to see if there was anything left for him to eat. There wasn't, so he opened the refrigerator and took out a TV dinner to put into the oven. He was annoyed at how well Jessica and Nicky seemed to be getting along. They made a better match then Jessica and Starsky ever had. Once again, the brunet found himself wondering how he had ever allowed his life to end up in such a mess. A careless mistake in the heat of passion and now he would pay for that mistake for the rest of his life. The only thing he had left to focus on in his rapidly crumbling marriage was the baby.

Jessica's due date was still nine weeks away, but Starsky had already made up his mind to tell her that he wanted a divorce as soon as the baby was born. He would continue to provide financial support for the child but Jessica would be on her own and he was going to demand that he have an active part in his child's life. Without Jessica's knowledge, he had already talked to an attorney and preliminary papers had been drawn up. The lawyer would file them as soon as Starsky gave him the go ahead. Starsky had agreed to pay over half his bi-weekly pay for child support, more than he was required to, but in exchange, Jessica had to agree not to leave Bay City with the baby and to give Starsky his freedom without a long drawn out fight in court.

Turning back to face his brother and his wife, Starsky said, "Did one of you take my credit card out of my wallet last night?"

"I did." Jessica said almost defiantly. "I told you I need to pick up some things today."

Struggling to control his temper, Starsky advanced on his wife and his brother and held out his hand. "Give it to me." He demanded.

"Hey, come on, bro…" Nicky said with slight smile "Ease up a little. Jessie wanted to do a little shopping. What's the big deal?"

"The big deal is we can't afford any more of her little shopping sprees." Starsky snapped, losing patience with both of them.

"You're no fun at all anymore." Jessica said with a snort. "Your own brother treats me better than you do!" Her eyes flashed with anger as she glared at her husband. "He at least pays attention to me. That's more than I can say about you!"

"Fine! If Nicky's so great, then maybe you should be with him instead of me!"

"Maybe I should be!" Jessica shot back. "He's more of a man than you'll ever be!"

"Then you can both get the fuck out!" Starsky yelled, snapping as he finally reached his breaking point. "You deserve each other!" He stomped across the floor to the front door "I want you both gone when I get back!" With those parting words, he stormed out of the house and headed for the safe haven of Hutch's apartment.

When Starsky stormed into the big blond's apartment, his face still dark with rage, Hutch wisely decided to keep silent and walked into the kitchen. Grabbing a bottle of scotch out of the cabinet, he poured the angry man a healthy drink, figuring he needed the hard liquor more than he did a beer in his present state of mind.

Starsky accepted the drink and swallowed it in one gulp. Handing the glass back to Hutch for a refill, he said, "I told them both to get out…that I wanted them gone when I got back."

Hutch arched one eyebrow at his friend and said, "Do you think they're going to leave just like that?"

"I don't really give a fuck anymore." Starsky said in a defeated voice. "I can't do it any more, Hutch. I've had enough of both of them. I just want my life back."

"What about the baby?"  
"I'll still fight Jessica if I have to over the baby." Starsky declared firmly. "I'm not going to just let her take off and never see my kid."

"I'm sorry, buddy. I know you gave it your best shot. You bent over backwards to make it work."

"God, Hutch…she said Nicky was a better man than me…that at least he paid attention to her." Starsky said, leaning his head back against the sofa and closing his eyes.

"You know that's not true." Hutch said, trying to sooth the brunet's wounded pride and self-esteem. "Nick probably just turned on the old Starsky charm. And Jessica fell for it. She just wanted to push your buttons as usual…they both did." Although the big blond felt empathy for his suffering friend, he was at a loss on how to make things better. He knew that the farce of the brunet's marriage to Jessica needed to end and that all he could do was be there to help Starsky pick up the pieces.

Starsky continued to drink throughout the evening, eventually switching from the hard liquor to beer. By midnight, he was passed out on the sofa and Hutch gently covered him with a blanket before going to bed himself. Starsky was still sleeping soundly when Hutch arose early the next morning for his customary five mile jog. When he returned, he took a quick shower and started to make breakfast. The smell of bacon frying in the skillet soon aroused a groggy Starsky from his drunken slumber.

With a disgruntled grunt, Starsky stumbled into the bathroom and Hutch soon heard the sound of vomiting as the brunet's stomach rebelled, emptying it's meager contents into the toilet bowl. Hutch immediately turned down the heat under the bacon and went into the bathroom to aide his hung-over friend. A pitiful looking Starsky was crouched in front of the stool, his head hanging down into the bowl as he heaved. Hutch grabbed a washcloth and wet it under the cold water, kneeling down beside his friend to gently wipe his brow.

Finally, Starsky stopped retching and leaned heavily against his friend, resting his head on the broad shoulder. Rubbing his back gently, Hutch said, "I'll call Dobey and tell him that we won't be in today."

"Thanks," Starsky mumbled, "I feel like shit."

"No offense," Hutch said with a chuckle, "But you don't look so hot either. I don't suppose you want anything to eat?"

Starsky's face blanched and he shook his head violently, the thought of food making him nauseated all over again. He lunged forward and began to heave again, even though there was nothing left in his stomach to bring up. Hutch wrapped his arms around the shaking body of his friend and held on tightly until he was finished. Helping the trembling brunet to his feet, Hutch helped him into his bedroom where Hutch laid him down on his bed. "Go back to sleep." Hutch instructed him. "I'll make you some broth when you wake up." Starsky's eyes drifted shut, already falling back to sleep.

Hutch walked back into the living room and picked up the phone. He stabbed out Starsky's phone number. When Jessica's sleepy voice answered, he said shortly, "Starsky is here with me and he's staying here until you and Nicky are gone."

"Why should we leave? This is my house too." Jessica said, "I have every right to tell Nick he can stay if I want to."

"That's Starsky's apartment. He never had you added to the lease." Hutch reminded her sharply. "He wants you both out and I'd advise you to do what he wants."

"And if we don't?"

"Then I won't be responsible for what happens to either one of you." Hutch declared.

"Are you threatening me?" Jessica asked with a snort of laughter.

"I don't have to. I'm a cop, remember?" Hutch said, "I can arrange to get you both out of there but you won't like the way I do it."

"Fuck you, Hutchinson!" Jessica's voice yelled in his ear. "I'm not scared of you!"

"You'd better be." Hutch said, in a distinctively warning tone, "Because I'm not going to let you go on hurting Starsky like this. If you know what's good for you, you'll both be out of there by this evening." Hutch hung up the phone before Jessica could come back with another sarcastic remark. He had the feeling that Jessica and Nick would do as he suggested. Neither one of them wanted to mess with the big blond when he went into full blown protective mode of his partner.

Starsky slept until early afternoon, finally stumbling out of bed and going into the bathroom for a long, hot shower. He rummaged though the dresser until he found the extra clothes he kept at Hutch's apartment for times like this. When he emerged from the bedroom dressed in clean clothes, he looked almost human again. For the first time in months, Hutch saw a hint of the old Starsky in his eyes.

"Want some broth and crackers?" Hutch asked.

Starsky shook his head, "No, but I could use a cup of coffee. Black." Starsky asking for his coffee black, instead of loaded down with cream and sugar the way he preferred, was a dead giveaway that Starsky was still suffering from the residual effects of his drinking binge.

"Still feeling pretty rough, huh?" Hutch said as he poured Starsky the coffee.

"You have no idea." Starsky said, accepting the cup with a grateful smile. "It seemed like a good idea at the time but don't let me do that again anytime soon."

"Hey, after everything you've been through in the past few months, you're entitled to get plastered now and then." Hutch teased the brunet fondly.

"I just hope Jessie and Nick are gone when I go home." Starsky said with a frown. "I really don't feel like dealing with either one of them today."

"Then why not stay here again tonight? Give them time to clear out." Hutch suggested. "Then we can swing by your place on the way to work in the morning to see if they're gone or not."

"Okay." Starsky said, not needing much persuasion to agree to Hutch's plan. He needed some more time to recover from his bender and, this way, he could do that in peace without any further arguments with his brother and soon to be ex-wife.


	9. Chapter 9

**CHAPTER NINE**

Starsky looked around his trashed apartment in shock and dismay. Nicky and Jessicaica were both gone as he had demanded but they had vented their anger at him before they left. His clothes had been pulled out of the closet and the dresser drawers, several of his favorite shirts torn into shreds. Someone had taken a knife to his waterbed mattress, slicing deep gashes in the plastic and soaking the bedroom carpet with the water. Pictures had been torn off the wall, the glass in the frames broken and several photographs, especially the ones of him and Hutch, torn into pieces.

The rest of the house was just as much of a mess. The couch had been overturned and deep gouges cut into the coffee table and end tables with a knife. All the food had been removed from the refrigerator and left out on the counter to spoil. Dishes and glasses had been shattered on the kitchen floor. A rag had been stuffed into the kitchen sink and then the water had been turned on, leaving the sink to overflow onto the kitchen floor. Several of Starsky's model ships had been broken and scattered around the living room. Someone, presumably Jessica, had taken red lipstick and scrawled on the living room '_Fuck you'_

Starsky turned to look at Hutch and sighed heavily. Luckily, his renter's insurance would cover most of the damage, but it wouldn't replace the personal possessions and pictures that had been maliciously destroyed in the rampage. "Well, it looks like they're gone." Starsky said dryly with a thin, bitter smile.

"Personally, pal…I think you got off lucky." Hutch said, clasping his friend's shoulder gently. "I'll call Dobey to tell him we won't be in today after all, and then help you clean up this mess."

For the next four hours, the partners worked side by side restoring some order to the apartment. Starsky's bedroom had suffered the worst of the damage. The carpet and his bed would both have to be replaced, along with some of his clothes. In the rest of the house, he would have to replace his coffee table and end tables, as well as most of his dishes, and repaint the walls. As they cleaned, Starsky also discovered several items missing. Some jewelry that had belonged to his deceased grandmother, a collection of silver dollars, and a silver chain with a heart and moon charm that Hutch had given him years ago. Starsky suspected that Nicky was the culprit in the thefts. He knew the value of the jewelry and the sentimental meaning of the silver chain.

Before they returned to his apartment that morning, Starsky had called his attorney and told him to go ahead and file the papers for the divorce from Jessica. He would let him know her forwarding address as soon as he found out where she had gone. Starsky decided not to file charges against her or Nicky for damaging his property. Like Hutch said, he got off lucky.

Three days later, Starsky received legal papers of his own, served to him at headquarters. As he skimmed over the legal documents, his face turned ashen and he looked at Hutch with a stricken look in his eyes. "Jessica is suing for sole custody of the baby." Starsky said in a choked voice. "Hutch…she claims I'm not the father." Starsky's eyes darkened with rage, turning a deep violet, as he crumpled the papers in his fist. "I'll kill the bitch if she's been lying to me all this time!"

"Calm down, buddy." Hutch said quietly, rising to his feet to calm the agitated brunet. "Tell your lawyer that you want blood tests to establish paternity as soon as the baby is born. That's the only way you'll know for sure."

"How could she do that, Hutch?" Starsky demanded, looking at his partner, his eyes filled with anguish and pain. "How could she lie to me about something like that? Did she think that I was that big a sucker? That I'd never find out?"

"I don't know, pal. Maybe you could talk to her doctor?" Hutch said, "He might be able to tell you something."

"Will you come with me?" Starsky asked hopefully. "Right now, I'm so pissed off I'm liable to go off on him if he tells me that baby isn't mine."

"Of course I will. Let's go."

The two men left the squad room and drove to the downtown medical center where Jessica's pediatrician had his office. The elderly man ushered the two men into his inner office and smiled warmly, "I'm glad to finally meet you, Mr. Starsky." He said cordially. "I encouraged your wife to bring you with her to her appointments but she said you were too busy."

"It's Detective Starsky." Starsky corrected him. "And Jessica would never let me come with her to any of his appointments." For some reason he felt compelled to correct Jessica's lie about him being too busy to come to any of her appointments. "I need to know if there's anything you can tell me about Jessica's pregnancy."

"I'm sorry, Detective Starsky but I'm sure I should tell you anything unless you can prove you're who you say you are."

Sighing, Starsky pulled his badge and identification out of his pocket and showed it to the doctor, who examined it closely. Apparently satisfied with Starsky's identification and his right to know confidential information about his patient, he said, "What would you like to know? There was nothing usual about it and the baby should be born right on schedule."

"In August, right?" Hutch asked.

"August? No, the baby is due in the next two weeks. July 5th to be exact." The doctor said with a puzzled frown.

Starsky's face turned pale at the doctor's words. Jessica had lied about when the baby was due, which explained why she had gained so much weight so quickly. It also confirmed that she had been at least six weeks pregnant when she told Starsky that her period was late and led him to believe that the baby was his. He had only been dating her for a little over a month when she told him that she thought she was pregnant. There was no way that the baby could be his as she had led him to believe.

"You're sure about the date?" Hutch asked, "There couldn't be some mistake?"

"Well, the last time I saw her, I did tell her that the baby could come anytime within the next two weeks, which would make it a bit early based on the date she gave me for her last menstrual cycle." The doctor said, "But, women are often mistaken on the dates of their last period when they think they are pregnant. I did tell her that she should have contacted a doctor sooner so that prenatal care could have been started. She had to have suspected that she was pregnant for at least a month since she was already almost two months along when I first examined her."

"Thank you, doctor. You've been very helpful." Starsky said in a tightly controlled voice as he turned to leave the office. He had found out what he needed to know. As they exited the building, Starsky growled, "She lied to me. She knew the baby wasn't mine all along! She used me and tricked me into marrying her!"

"The big question is why." Hutch said thoughtfully. "Why you? Why come up with such an elaborate scheme to make you think you were the baby's father?"

"I don't know but I sure as hell intend to find out." Starsky vowed in a fiercely determined voice. "Jessica is going to tell me the truth once and for all."

"Do you know where she is?"

"Yeah, she's holed up in some motel on the west side with Nicky." Starsky said in a cold, calm voice that Hutch knew meant trouble if Starsky didn't get the answers he wanted. "I had Minnie do some checking around for me. The room is registered to Nicky. He didn't even have enough sense to use a different name."

"Want some company? You shouldn't talk to them without some backup."

"You can come along if you want." Starsky said as he twisted the key and turned on the ignition, the tires squealing in protest as he pulled away from the curb.


	10. Chapter 10

**CHAPTER TEN**

Nicky didn't seemed surprised when he opened the door of the motel room to find Starsky and Hutch standing on the doorstep. Smiling at his older brother, he said, with a cocky tilt of his chin, "I take it that you got the papers from Jessie's lawyer."

"Where is she?" Starsky demanded in a cold, unforgiving voice. "She owes me an explanation."

"She doesn't owe you anything." Nicky said, "I figured you'd be glad to be off the hook. Now you're not stuck with a brat that isn't even yours."

"Where's Jessica?" Starsky repeated, brushing past his younger brother and stepping into the room. As Hutch followed, he noticed that Nicky kept a careful distance between him and his outraged older brother.

Jessica came out of the bathroom, an unconcerned expression on her face, to confront her outraged husband. "You don't have to yell, David. I'm right here." She said calmly.

"Why did you lie to me?" Starsky demanded, his eyes flashing with a cold, barely controlled rage. "Why did you tell me the baby was mine if it wasn't?"

"Because you were there and I needed someone to take responsibility for me and the baby." Jessica replied as if her explanation made perfect sense. "Besides, you didn't seem to mind when you thought that you were the father. You were ready to take financial responsibility and support the baby."

"If all you wanted was for somebody to support the baby, then why the hell did you pressure me into marrying you?" Starsky growled.

"Because, my love, marriage entitled me to certain rights…like being covered on your insurance and to make a claim against half of your assets if we got divorced since California is a community property state."

"You won't get a dime when the court finds out that we got married under fraudulent circumstances." Starsky said angrily.

"You'll have to prove that first…and by the time you do, I'll make sure that you've lost everything you have." Jessica said with a spiteful smile. Hutch reached out to grab Starsky's arm firmly as he took a threatening step towards Jessica.

"Take it easy, Starsk…she ain't worth it." He reminded the infuriated brunet.

"She's just trying to get under your skin."

"That's right, bro…" Nicky sneered, "Listen to your _partner_." He made the word 'partner' sound like a dirty word, earning himself a glare from the big blond. Ignoring the clear warning in Hutch's ice blue eyes, he added, "Now you two can go back to being 'best friends' and whatever the hell else you really are."

Hutch immediately turned and swung at Nicky, a big iron fist connecting solidly with the smaller man's jaw. Nicky's eyes rolled back and he slumped to the floor, out for the count. As Hutch shook the sting out of his fist, Jessica glared at both men and hissed,

"Get the fuck out of here! Both of you! Before I call the cops!"

"Just one more question." Starsky said ominously, glaring at the woman who had almost ruined his life. "Who's the father?"

"That's none of your damn business!" Jessica taunted him with a thin smile. "Now get the fuck out!"

The two detectives backed out of the room. The last thing Starsky saw before Hutch slammed the door closed was Jessica kneeling at Nicky's side, cradling his head in her lap. For the distraught brunet, it was the final straw, an image that would be painfully etched into his memory forever. Without thinking, he slammed his fist against the brick wall of the building, splitting open the knuckles on his left hand.

"That wasn't very smart, buddy." Hutch said gently, as he immediately grabbed Starsky's injured hand to examine the damage. "We need got to get you to the hospital. I think you broke your hand."

"Look whose talking," Starsky said with a snort. "You weren't worrying about your hand when you cold cocked Nicky."

"That's because he had it coming." Hutch said with a thin smile. "Come on, Tiger. Let's get that hand looked at."

Starsky sullenly followed Hutch back to the car, cradling his wounded hand against his chest. After a three hour wait at the hospital, the doctor confirmed Hutch's suspicions. Starsky had indeed broken his hand along with three of his fingers. He would be in a cast from his fingertips to his elbow for at least the next six weeks. And, since he was left handed, that would prove to be a real pain in the ass. For the two detectives, it meant desk duty, something they both hated, but Hutch would suffer along with his partner since he refused to work the streets without Starsky by his side. He knew that Starsky would do the same if their positions were reversed. Captain Dobey would not be pleased when he found out that his favored team of detectives was grounded because of Starsky's impulsive act.

Hutch took Starsky home with him from the hospital; the brunet was groggy and giggling from the powerful pain killers that the doctor had given him. Starsky high on pain meds was almost as bad as dealing with an intoxicated brunet but without the hang-over the next morning. Hutch managed to get an uncooperative Starsky up the steps to his apartment and inside without any major complications until the brunet began to complain that he was hungry. No matter what Hutch suggested to eat, nothing appealed to Starsky, who wanted to go to The Pits for one of Huggy's specials. Knowing that Starsky was in no condition to go anywhere except to bed, Hutch finally coaxed him into letting the big blond fix him a hamburger. It wouldn't be as good as one of Huggy's specials but, in Starsky's present condition, Hutch didn't think that Starsky would notice. And he was right. The brunet wolfed down the sandwich and then went out like a light, snoring lightly as he curled up on the sofa, his head resting on his new cast.

Hutch smiled down at his peacefully sleeping friend. Reaching out to brush his fingers through those unruly curls, he said, "Sleep well, buddy. We'll get you through this just like we always do…together."

Hutch's eyes darkened with anger when he thought about Jessica and Nick Starsky. Somehow, he would make sure that they paid for their mistreatment of his friend. He had his own suspicions about the true relationship between Nick and Jessica and he prayed that he was wrong. Hutch wasn't a detective for nothing and the clues all added up when they were pieced together. If Hutch was right, it would devastate the brunet if he ever found out the truth.

The next day, Hutch decided to do some quiet investigating on his own based on his suspicions. Only this time, it would be Nick Starsky that he was investigating. If nothing came of his investigation, then Starsky would never have to know anything about it. But, if his suspicions were confirmed than he would have to tell Starsky the truth. He rarely kept secrets from the intuitive brunet but this time he was willing to make an exception to that rule and risk his best friend's wrath when he found out.

Hutch waited until Starsky was preoccupied taking a statement from a potential witness before making a discreet phone call. Loud music was playing in the background when Huggy Bear answered the phone.

"You got the Bear. It's your dime." Huggy chanted into the receiver.

"Huggy, it's Hutch. I need for you to do me a favor. I need for you to find out everything you can about why Nick Starsky is in town."

"You think he's up to his old tricks?"

"I hope not, for Starsky's sake."

"How's Curly doing?"

"Not so good. He told Nicky and Jessica to get out and they trashed his place when they left." Hutch explained

"Oh, man…that sucks."

"Yeah, then he found them shacked up together at this motel room and Jessica admitted that the baby isn't his."

"Oh, damn…that had to really tear him apart." Huggy said sympathetically. "He was really looking forward to having that kid and playing Daddy."

"Yeah, I know. Just see what you can find out. Okay?"

"Consider it done." Huggy said "You just take care of Curly locks."

"You know it." Hutch said with a smile as he hung up the phone before Starsky came back.


	11. Chapter 11

**CHAPTER ELEVEN**

Hutch looked at his scribbled notes and then discreetly slipped the small notebook back into his pocket. His worst suspicions had been confirmed. His detective instincts had uncovered link between Jessica and Nicky back in New York. They had been a couple for almost six months before Jessica's sudden move to Bay City. They hadn't even tried to conceal the fact that they were living together. At the time, however, Jessica had been using the name Carla Bennet instead of her legal name When Hutch investigated her under that name, he found a police record for a variety of minor offences, including shop lifting and solicitation. Apparently, whatever form of fake ID she had been using; it had been good enough to fool the New York Police Department and kept them from discovering her real identity.

She had also moved to Bay City later then she had told Starsky. She had only been in town for a couple of weeks when she met the brunet at Huggy's bar, which clearly indicated that she was pregnant before she left New York and that the father, in all likelihood, was Nick Starsky. That cleared up a lot of unanswered questions but raised even more. It was apparent to Hutch that Jessica had not gotten involved with Starsky at random, it had been carefully planned for reasons yet unknown. Did she believe, knowing that he was Nicky's brother, that she could pass the baby off as his due to the strong resemblance between the two men? Or did she have a more sinister motive in mind? And how much did Nick Starsky have to do with the whole scheme? Hutch knew that he had to tell Starsky about the new information he had uncovered. He had the right to know.

Hutch waited until after they were off duty and relaxing at Starsky's newly remodeled apartment. The sofa had been recovered in a soft brown tweed and the coffee tables refinished. They had both had a few beers and were feeling mellow. Tipping his bottle to take a sip, Hutch said nonchalantly, "I did some digging and came up with some things I think you should know."

"About Jessica?"

"Yeah…and about Nicky."

"They knew each other from New York, didn't they?" Starsky said flatly, surprising the blond once more with his sharp instincts and keen mind. Too many people assumed that the brunet wasn't that intelligent because of his background and lack of formal education, but actually, Starsky was one of the smartest, most intelligent men that Hutch knew. Not just street smart, but mostly self-taught from his eclectic choices in reading material. The man would read anything he could get his hands on, from his beloved trivia books to an encyclopedia. That curly head was crammed full of bits of information that would amaze most people.

"Yeah, pal…they did."

"The baby is Nicky's, isn't it?"

"Probably." Hutch admitted quietly.

"So, they both played me for a sucker." Starsky looked at Hutch, his eyes filled with a deep sadness and bitterness. "Nicky knew that I would do the right thing if I thought the baby was mine. I wouldn't just walk away the way he would."

"Maybe that's what happened." Hutch suggested, "Maybe Nicky walked away when he found out that Jessica was pregnant, so she came out here and hooked up with you out of spite." It made as much sense as any other scenario that Hutch could come up with.

"If all she wanted was somebody to take responsibility for the kid, then why was she so insistent on getting married?"

"Who knows how her mind works? Maybe she just wanted to rub it in Nicky's face that she was with you now. I'm sure she probably knew about the bad blood between you two. Nick sure doesn't have any problem letting people know that the two of you don't get along."

"The bottom line is: she used me. She played me for a sucker. They both did." Starsky grumbled.

"You're right, they did. But, her little scheme, whatever it was, backfired on her when Nicky showed up."

"You really think that's what happened?"

"I'd bet money on it. I don't think she planned on Nicky arriving when he did."

"So, why did he show up?"

"Who knows? Knowing Nicky, maybe he thought he could blackmail her to keep his mouth shut about the baby." Hutch suggested, "He probably thought that since the two of you were married that Jessica had access to your bank accounts and credit cards."

"I bet he was pissed when he found out that I wasn't that stupid." Starsky said, with a thin smile. A puzzled frown appeared on his face. "Why didn't they just keep quiet? Let me go on thinking the baby was mine? I'd have still gotten stuck paying child support. Why did Jessica counter sue me for sole custody on the grounds that the baby wasn't mine?"

"I don't know." Hutch admitted. "I still haven't figured that one out myself. Maybe she got scared and figured if there was a long drawn out court case because of the baby that the truth would come out eventually."

"I guess we'll never know for sure unless Nicky or Jessica decides to come clean." Starsky commented sourly. "And I don't see that happening anytime soon."

"Neither do I. I don't think either of them could tell the truth if their life depended on it."

Starsky's eyes clouded with sadness and he said softly, "It really sucks, Hutch…I really wanted that baby to be mine."

"I know you did, buddy." Hutch said, slipping a consoling arm around the brunet's shoulders. "But, at least you found out the truth now instead of farther down the road."

"Next time, I'll trust your instincts when it comes to one of my girlfriends. If you don't like her or she doesn't like you, then I'll know to cut her loose." Starsky said with a feeble attempt at humor to defuse the tension in the air.

"Guess that means we're stuck with each other, huh?" Hutch teased the brunet fondly.

"Yeah, well, don't expect me to give you no ring because I'm through with marriage for good." Starsky quipped. He turned to Hutch with a crooked grin. "I guess you'll just have to settle for living together, Blondie."

"At least you don't have to worry about me getting pregnant by accident." Hutch shot back. Both men burst into laughter at the image that comment brought to mind.

"I'll call my attorney tomorrow and fill him in about all this but I'll tell him not to use it in the divorce hearing unless he has to." Starsky said, "There are some things I'd rather keep under wraps, ya know?"

"Can't blame you there." Hutch agreed, rising to his feet to get them both another beer. "There's no need for anyone to know all the dirty little details."

"Except for you." Starsky said with a chuckle. He could feel the strength of the bond that held them together as the two friends exchanged a meaningful glance that spoke volumes without either one of them uttering a word.

The ringing of the telephone broke the silence. Hutch grabbed the receiver. "Hello?" He said. Starsky watched the play of emotions that crossed Hutch's handsome face as he listened to whoever was on the other end of the line. Irritation, anger, and something that came close to being hatred. Slamming down the receiver without ever saying another word, he looked at Starsky and said, "That was Nicky. Jessica is in labor and, for whatever reason; he thought that you might want to know. He even had the nerve to ask me to find out if you wanted to be there."

"Why? So he can gloat?" Starsky growled, "I don't think so. I'm not that much of a sucker. What's he expect me to do? Forgive and forget?"

"With Nicky anything is possible. You know that." Hutch said with a snort of disgust as he continued on to the kitchen for their beers.


	12. Chapter 12

**CHAPTER TWELVE**

Starsky stood in front of the nursery window, staring at the newborn infant lying in the bassinet marked with the tag '_Infant girl Starsky'____. _For reasons of his own, he had felt compelled to come to the hospital to see the baby that he had believed was his for most of Jessica's pregnancy. She looked just like him--and Nicky, with a head full of dark curls, an olive toned complexion instead of the ruddy redness of most newborns, and blue eyes so dark they looked almost black in the overhead lights.

"She's beautiful, isn't she?" Jessica's voice suddenly said from behind his left shoulder.

Starsky turned slowly and stared at his estranged wife without much warmth.

"Yeah, she is." He admitted ruefully, embarrassed at being caught during his impromptu visit to the hospital.

"I named her Nicole Lynn," Jessica said, "I think all firstborns should be named after their father, don't you?"

"So Nicky is the father." Starsky said coldly, her words confirming what he already knew in his heart.

"Yes, David." Jessica surprised him by admitting the truth for a change. "He is."

"Why? Why did you use me like that? Lie to me and make me think that she was mine?" Starsky demanded angrily, keeping his voice low since he was in a hospital.

"Because when Nicky found out, he threw me out. He said the baby could belong to anybody. There was no proof that it was his." Jessica said bitterly.

"That still doesn't explain why you came here and tried to make me that believe she was mine!" Starsky hissed through tightly clenched teeth.

"Because I wanted her to have the Starsky name! Her rightful name! And if Nicky wouldn't give it to her, I figured you would if you thought you were the father." Jessica said sharply. She laughed bitterly. "I even thought that maybe, just maybe, I could get you to fall in love with me but that didn't happen, did it?"

"You don't fall in love with somebody when the whole relationship is built on a pack of lies."

Jessica looked through the window at the peacefully sleeping baby and whispered, "No, I guess not. Nicky still doesn't want her. He wants me to give her up for adoption."

"Is that what you're going to do?"

"I don't know…I can't raise her on my own and it's pretty clear that Nicky isn't you. He'll never take responsibility and be a real father to her…not the way you would have been." Jessica looked at Starsky with a bittersweet smile and tears in her eyes. "You're a good man, David Starsky, and I'm sorry that I hurt you. You can have the divorce. I won't fight you on that. It's time to move on from here." She looked back at her child and whispered, "On my own." Without another word, she turned and slowly walked away from the nursery.

Starsky sighed softly and stole one last look at his niece. It still hurt to know that she wasn't his after all. The last seven months of his life had all been built on a lie. But, he couldn't forget the milestones that he had shared with Jessica during some of her better moods: feeling the baby move for the first time, watching her stomach expand with each passing month, believing that the life she was carrying was one that he had helped to create and planning for the baby's impending birth. Milestones that he never expected to experience again. Swallowing back the lump in his throat, he turned and slowly walked away.

He was startled to find Hutch waiting for him in the lobby. Spotting his partner, the blond stretched his long legs and stood up, walking over to his friend. "I kinda figured I might find you here when you didn't answer the radio. Did you see the baby?"

"Yeah…she looks just like Nicky…" he said with a snort, "Me too for that matter. I talked to Jessica."

"How did that go?"

"Okay. She said she won't fight me on the divorce. She knows she can't win with all the evidence against her."

"Did she tell you why she did it?"

"Yeah, she wanted the baby to have the Starsky name. Nicky wasn't about to give it to her, so she figured I would if I thought she was mine."

"It's a girl?" Hutch said noticing for the first time that Starsky had referred to the baby by its sex.

"Yeah. Her name is Nicole Lynn. Jessica said that Nicky still doesn't want anything to do with her. He wants her to give her up for adoption."

"Is that what she's going to do?"

"She hasn't decided yet but I wouldn't be surprised if she does. I think she's just now starting to realize how much responsibility a baby would be."

"I'm sorry, buddy. I wish she could have been yours." Hutch said, as the two men left the building side by side.

"Me too." Starsky admitted with a tiny smile. "That's probably the closest I'll ever get to being a father."

"You don't know that. It could still happen."

"I don't think so, Hutch. I think I lost my chance at ever having the kids and the little white house with the picket fence when Terry died. I'll never get that close again."

He took a deep breath and exhaled slowly. "I have to call Ma and tell her the truth. At least Nicole is still her granddaughter."

"From what I've seen, your mother is a strong lady. She'll be able to handle it." Hutch said, fondly remembering his own encounters with the feisty matriarch of the Starsky clan.

"Yeah," Starsky agreed with a smile. "She is…but she still needs to hear the whole story from me."

"Let's grab something to eat. You can call your mother later." Hutch suggested, hoping to lift Starsky's spirits with the promise of food.

The rest of their day was filled with mundane tasks. Since they were both still on desk duty that included filing charts, reviewing reports from other detectives and typing them, taking statements from witnesses or victims, and taking routine calls to the squad room. When they signed off for the day, Starsky declined Hutch's suggestion that they stop by The Pits on their way home. Tonight, he really felt the need to have some time alone with his thoughts. Dropping Hutch off at his apartment, Starsky headed for home.

He checked his mail as he pulled it from the box. Mostly bills and a letter from his mother. It could all wait till later. Letting himself into his empty apartment, he turned on the TV for some comforting background noise as he went into the bathroom to take a shower. After a solitary meal, he fell asleep watching TV.

The next morning, he woke up with a crick in his neck and a nagging headache. Three aspirins did little to ease the insistent pain that seemed to be centered in the back of his skull. The residual pain made him irritable and cranky most of the day. By the time he got home that evening, the dull ache had grown into a full blown migraine. Gulping down some of his prescription medication, he walked into the bedroom and pulled the blinds to darken the room. Then he laid down on the bed and waited for the pills to take effect. He was almost asleep when the ringing of the telephone on the nightstand disturbed his rest and made his head explode with renewed agony.

"Yeah?" He answered the phone with a menacing growl.

"Is this David Starsky?" An unfamiliar feminine voice said in his ear.

"Yeah, who is this?" He demanded, desperate to end the call as soon as possible so he could unplug the phone until he got rid of his headache.

"This is Marcy Taylor. I'm the social worker at Good Samaritan Hospital. I'm calling because you need to come in tomorrow and sign the papers to release the baby for adoption."

"What?" Starsky asked in a confused voice, more alert now and still confused. The woman's words made no sense. "What papers?"

"The adoption papers so we can release your daughter for adoption. Your wife signed them before she checked out this afternoon and said that you'd be in tomorrow to sign them. I just need to know what time I can expect you."

"I…uh…" Starsky stammered, not sure what to say. He assumed that Jessica must have put his name on the baby's birth certificate as the father instead of Nicky. This was a complication he wasn't able to deal with rationally right now. Not without some sleep.

"Mr. Starsky," the woman from the hospital continued,"Without your signature too, forfeiting your paternal rights to the child, we can't release her for adoption. So, unless you claim your daughter or sign the papers within the next twenty-four hours, we'll have no choice but to declare her an abandoned child and turn her over to the proper authorities."

"I need to call my lawyer." Starsky said, "Then I'll get back to you."

"Are you saying that you're having second thoughts about giving up the baby?" The social worker demanded.

"Look, lady…I'll call you tomorrow. Okay?" Starsky said rudely, anxious to get her off the line. He hung up, then immediately picked it up again and called Hutch. When the blond answered the phone, he blurted out, "Hutch, I got a big problem. Can you come over right away?"

"I'm on my way." Hutch said without a second thought. If Starsky needed him, he would be there.

Hanging up again, Starsky forced himself out of bed, trying desperately to ignore the insistent pounding in his head. He walked into the living room and turned the lights on dim. Hutch arrived within twenty minutes, letting himself in with his key. One look at his partner's ashen face and he said, "You've got a migraine, don't you?"

"Yeah…but that's not why I called you." Starsky said, speaking softly in deference to the pain in his head. "I got a call from some social worker at the hospital. Jessica checked out this afternoon and she signed the adoption papers before she left."

"So? what's the problem?"

"I'm supposed to sign them too. She must have listed me as the father on the birth certificate instead of Nicky."

"What are you gonna do? Even if you sign the papers, it wouldn't be legal. You're not the biological father."

"According to the birth certificate I am if Jessica put down my name." Starsky said. "I'm going to call my lawyer in the morning to see what he thinks I should do." He looked at his partner and said, "Hutch, I could keep her and nobody would know the difference. Nobody knows the truth but you, me, Nicky and Jessica."

"And your attorney." Hutch pointed out somberly.

"He doesn't know everything…not about Nicky anyway. I didn't have time to call him about that yet."

"Starsky, think about what you're suggesting." Hutch argued gently. "If Nicky ever found out what you did…and I have no doubt that he would eventually…he'd be sure to find a way to use it against you. Are you willing to take that kind of risk?"

"I don't know." Starsky admitted. "I just keep thinking that that baby didn't ask to be born and she hasn't got anybody who cares about her now but me."

"Right now, I think you need to get some sleep. We can talk about this more in the morning. You're not exactly thinking straight right now. Did you take your medicine?"

Starsky nodded, swaying slightly, as Hutch carefully helped him to his feet and back into the bedroom. After making sure that the brunet was comfortable and on the verge of dozing off, Hutch unplugged the bedroom phone and left the room, closing the door quietly behind him.

The big blond sat down on the sofa, lost in thought. Whatever Starsky decided, Hutch would stand beside him and give him all the emotional support he needed. He just hoped the brunet made the right decision, not only for himself, but for everyone else involved.


	13. Chapter 13

**0**

**CHAPTER THIRTEEN**

Starsky smiled at the tiny infant sleeping peacefully in his arms. One tiny hand curled around his little finger, holding on tightly even in her sleep. Despite Hutch's objections, Starsky couldn't turn his back on Nicole. Starsky's attorney had advised him that, in the eyes of the law, unless it was proven differently in court, Starsky was considered the biological father since Jessica had put his name on the birth certificate instead of Nicky.

Nicky and Jessica had left Bay City for parts unknown, presumably together, so the truth about Nicole's parentage was safe for now. The divorce from Jessica would be handled quietly and discreetly with Starsky being given sole custody of Nicole Lynn. An ecstatic Rachel was flying in from New York for a few weeks to help care for the baby until Starsky could find a live-in housekeeper to care for her while he worked. His friends and co-workers had all rallied around the brunet, buying the story that Jessica had voluntarily skipped town and abandoned the baby for Starsky to raise on his own.

Nicole had stolen the brunet's heart the first time he held her in his arms. She may not be his daughter biologically but she was in every other way that mattered. He already loved her fiercely and vowed to protect her in every way he could, even if it meant omitting some important facts about her heritage. Even Hutch had softened considerably when he held her for the first time. She was so vulnerable and innocent. She hadn't had any choice in who her real parents were. To the world around them, Starsky was her father and that was a role that he intended to take very seriously---with some help from her Uncle Hutch.

"You ready to take your little girl home, buddy?" Hutch asked with a grin as he opened the door and presented Starsky with the car seat that the Dobey's had bought for the baby.

"Yeah, I am." Starsky said with a happy grin. He gently laid the sleeping baby in the car seat, covering her with a light blanket decorated with circus animals, a special present from little Rosie Dobey, who was thrilled that her favorite Uncle Starsky was a daddy now. Starsky raised his head to look at his best friend and partner. His life had been turned upside down since the day that Jessica had told him that she was pregnant and he would never have gotten through any of it without Hutch's support and friendship. Now he was about to embark on another major change in his life and he knew that he could count on Hutch to be there beside him for that too. That was all that mattered in the end. As long as he had Hutch by his side, the brunet knew that he could accomplish anything. They left the room together, the baby snug in the car seat between them, to face whatever the future held in store for the three of them.


End file.
